Learning to Live with It
by honu59
Summary: Danny must come to terms with the accidental death of a teenager. An ATC to "And They Painted Daisies on His Coffin" from season one.
1. Chapter 1

_**A.N. **__Hawaii Five-O belongs to CBS. No copyright infringement is intended. _

_Thanks to "Tanith2011" for beta reading this._

_Title was inspired by Steve's lines:_

"_You think it's any easier to kill a grown man? You think the next one will be easier than this one? God help you if you do. It had better hurt every time. It better tear your guts out every time you pull that gun whether you use it or not. You learn to live with it, but don't get used to it."_

**Learning to Live with It**

**Chapter 1**

Final scene from "And They Painted Daisies on His Coffin"

_Steve McGarrett couldn't remember the last time he had felt this relieved. Had the gun not been found, had the girl not confessed what had happened, well…his young second-in-command was fortunate that he now had his life and career back, his good name cleared. Dan Williams gratefully accepted his previously confiscated possessions from the duty officer at HPD lockup. He strapped on his wrist watch, pocketed his wallet and pen knife, tied his tie and shouldered into his suit jacket. Placing his badge case in his pocket and slipping his gun into his belt holster made him feel whole again. The two detectives exited the building and walked out of the parking lot into the morning sunshine, a visible symbol of a new day and a second chance._

"_Glad that's over" was Danny's single comment to his boss._

_Steve clapped the younger man on the shoulder and the two fell in step together as they made their way to the black Mercury parked on the side of the street._

End of Scene

o-o-o

It wasn't long after they were on the road that Danny realized his mentor was not headed to the Palace; in fact, it was obvious that they were en route to Danny's apartment.

"Steve…" Danny began, ready to list the reasons why he needed to go back to work. The dark-haired detective shook his head as if he could read his protégé's thoughts.

"I want you to take the day off, Danno. You've been through a lot the past couple days. You need to unwind; get some rest," Steve stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Danny started to protest, only to be cut off again by his boss.

"That's an order."

The younger man relented, and the remainder of the trip was spent in silence.

o-o-o

By the time Steve returned to the Five-O office suite, Chin Ho and Kono were already busy with paperwork and May was organizing his agenda, mail and phone messages. The attractive brunette secretary looked up from her work and smiled at the tall detective as he walked past her desk.

"Morning, Boss," she greeted. Still feeling victorious and grateful after Williams' release, Steve returned the smile and greeting on his way into his private office. May rose from her desk and drew a mug of hot coffee from the urn then followed the senior detective into his office with her hands full. She set the steaming mug on the large desk and placed the stack of papers in his inbox.

"Thanks, love," Steve said, taking a sip of the hot aromatic brew as he scanned his agenda for the day.

"You just missed a call from Dr. Bergman, Boss. He needs to speak with you right away," May reported before she retrieved the papers from his outbox and returned to her own desk.

McGarrett settled into his high-backed leather chair, took another sip of coffee then dialed the number for the county morgue. After a few rings, he heard the coroner's voice.

"_Bergman."_

"Morning, Doc. May said that you needed to speak with me."

"_Steve, we have a second set of prints that match this boy in the morgue."_

"A second set? What do you mean, Doc? I thought we already had a positive ID."

"_We do, I mean we did. Steve, maybe you'd better come down here."_

"Okay, Doc, I'm on my way."

Steve hung up the phone and sighed, glancing at his barely touched coffee. Then he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door.

"I'll be at the morgue," Steve informed May as he walked briskly past her desk. Then he tapped the wall of the second cubicle, getting the attention of its occupant. "Chin, mind the store."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

On his arrival at the morgue, Steve found Bergman in the main examination room, a large blue-tiled chamber that resembled a hospital operating theater. The coroner was seated at a desk in one end of the room, hunched over and studying the contents of two different file folders. As usual, Steve got down to business right away.

"Okay, Doc, give me the whole story," Steve said tersely, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. Bergman closed the file folders, rose from the desk and stood in front of the taller man, his hands resting in the pockets of his white lab coat.

"Steve, do you know Sergeant Takahashi from HPD?"

"Sure, I know Charlie. Good man."

"Well, about three years ago, he did a stint on Missing Persons. The unsolved cases really got to him, especially the kids. He kept copies of the files in his desk and kept track. Whenever we got a body, he'd compare the files on his own time," the coroner explained. Then locking eyes with the detective's, he continued: "This time he got a match."

"Thad Vaughn?" Steve asked, already knowing the answer. Doc nodded and handed Steve the file from the recent autopsy.

"Prints and dental records are a positive match, Steve. Thad Vaughn is really Joseph Collins," Bergman stated firmly.

The dark-haired detective flipped through the papers in the report, scanning the information to update his own mental profile of the deceased.

"Hmm…Thad Vaughn…seems like an unusual alias," Steve commented.

Bergman smiled to himself. _Sometimes age has its advantages, _he thought.

"This was probably before your time, Steve, but 'Thad Vaughn' was a character in an old series of dime store novels back in the early twenties," Doc explained.

"Well then, unusual for an eighteen year old," Steve added, before returning to the report and reading aloud:

"Mother, Joyce Collins; Father, Martin Collins, deceased; one brother, Martin Jr. …"

"That's why I called you, Steve," Doc interrupted. "Before we can release the body, the family will need to be notified. I thought that you might want to handle that personally since..." Bergman cleared his throat before continuing, not really wanting to finish his thought out loud. "…because of how Joseph died."

Steve's stern expression softened, recognizing that the old coroner shared his fondness for the young second-in-command of Five-O.

"Thanks, Doc, I appreciate that. I'll take care of it."

"How's Danny doing?" Bergman finally asked.

"It's been rough on him, Doc. I gave him the day off."

Steve copied down Mrs. Collins' street address and phone number then stuffed his notebook back into his jacket pocket and left the morgue.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was the most difficult duty a police officer had to perform, and it didn't get any easier with practice. One could never be fully prepared for how a family would react to the news of the death of a loved one, let alone how a mother would react when the death was that of her own child. These were the thoughts that occupied McGarrett's mind on his drive to the Collins' residence on the northwest side of the island. As difficult as he expected it to be, Steve was glad that this responsibility wasn't on Danny's shoulders. He surmised that the younger man was already burdened with enough guilt without having to witness a mother's broken heart.

He parked the Mercury at the curb and approached the front door of the small, neatly kept bungalow. He rang the doorbell and waited. After a few minutes the door opened to reveal a plain looking forty-something woman with hints of grey in her brown hair.

"Mrs. Collins?"

"Yes?" she answered cautiously.

"Steve McGarrett, Hawaii Five-O," the detective answered, displaying his badge. "I need to speak with you; it's important. May I come in?" He made an effort to keep his business-like tone gentler than usual.

Joyce Collins led her visitor into the small living room and offered him a seat. Steve waited for the woman to sit first then he sat next to her on the edge of the sofa, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his fingers interlaced.

"What's this all about, Mr. McGarrett?" Joyce inquired.

"Mrs. Collins, I'm sorry to inform you of the death of your son Joseph," Steve said, issuing the standard wording used in his profession.

All color drained from the woman's face and she gasped as if she had been punched without warning.

"What? How?" Joyce stammered after a few minutes, tears running down her cheeks. "I haven't seen Joey in almost three years. He ran away." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Steve paused before continuing, his eyes fixed on the grieving mother. As painful as this was, he didn't believe in whitewashing the truth.

"Joseph was seen breaking into a car and was being pursued by an off-duty police officer. Your son had a gun, Mrs. Collins. He fired two shots at the officer before locking himself in his apartment. The officer fired once, into the lock. Unfortunately, the bullet hit Joseph. It was a tragic accident."

The news was more that she could bear. She suddenly rose from the sofa and retreated to the far side of the living room, attempting to physically distance herself from her anguish. She leaned her head against the wall and buried her face in her hands, while her whole body shook with her sobs. McGarrett watched, feeling helpless. What could he say at a time like this? After a few minutes he walked over and put his arm around the trembling woman's shoulders.

"Easy," Steve soothed. "Easy." He gently led her back to the sofa.

"When did this happen?" Joyce managed to ask, the rational part of her mind overflowing with questions, temporarily dominating the terrible grief that threatened to consume her.

"Four days ago. Your son was using the name 'Thad Vaughn'. It wasn't until this morning that an officer from Missing Persons identified him as Joseph Collins," Steve explained.

A small hint of a poignant smile briefly appeared on the woman's face. "'Thad Vaughn' was a character from a book that Joey's grandfather used to read to him when he was a boy," she explained wistfully as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I guess he really wanted to escape from who he was."

"Is there anyone you can call?" Steve asked quietly. "You have another son, I believe?"

"My son Marty is in prison, Mr. McGarrett," Joyce whispered. "My husband divorced me when the boys were young and he died six years ago. It wasn't easy, raising two boys on my own."

"No, I don't imagine that it was," Steve agreed sympathetically.

"I can call my sister; she can help with the arrangements." The thought of having something to do and someone to lean on gave Joyce a small measure of strength. "Mr. McGarrett, this is a family matter; I'd like to keep this private."

"I understand, Mrs. Collins," Steve replied. With one son in prison, she certainly didn't need Joseph's troubles with the law made any more public than they already were. He squeezed the woman's shoulder before rising from the sofa, issuing the customary "I'm very sorry for your loss."

Steve saw himself to the door and left. He shook his head and steeled himself against the pain he had just inflicted. His thoughts returned to Danny. At least Mrs. Collins' desire to keep the final arrangements private would minimize any further damage to his young friend's professional reputation. The poor woman would not be dragging her sad story to the press.

o-o-o

By the time McGarrett had returned to the Palace for the morning staff meeting, it was already early afternoon. As he watched his two on-duty detectives file into his private office, he mulled over just how many details of his morning he wanted to share with them. Whether it was consciously or unconsciously, the fact was that he wanted to shield his second-in-command from further fallout.

_You were tough on him, Boss. Maybe too tough?_

Kono's words echoed in Steve's mind unbidden. He did want Danny to toughen up for his own good. He wouldn't survive as a cop otherwise. But he didn't want to rip away all of the young man's sensitivity. The right balance of sensitivity and toughness would make Danny a good cop.

"We have some new information from Missing Persons on Thad Vaughn. Real name is Joseph Collins; Doc has the prints and dental records to confirm it," Steve began, his tone of voice all business. "Please make the correction in your reports."

Chin and Kono exchanged looks half expecting more information to follow, but the boss quickly changed the subject.

"Now what have you got on the Hunter case?"


	4. Chapter 4

_**A.N. **- My thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and/or review this story!_

**Chapter 4**

"Thanks for the beer, Kono, I really needed to get out of that apartment," Danny said after taking a sip of the cold satisfying brew. It was early evening and the dimly lit tavern was busy, but the two off-duty cops were seated away from the bar in a booth that offered some privacy.

"Don't mention it," Kono said in between handfuls of pretzels.

"So what's the action today?" Danny asked.

"Nothing much, mostly paperwork; no new leads on da Hunter case," Kono replied with his mouth full. "Oh, and Steve found out Thad Vaughn's real name is Joseph Collins."

Danny winced slightly at the name then sat in silence for several minutes, seemingly lost in thought.

"You okay, bruddah?" Kono asked when the lull in conversation became uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Danny said, running a hand through his sandy curls while trying to decide how he could explain his inner turmoil to his friend. Finally in a lower, more serious tone, he brought up the subject he couldn't get out of his mind. "Kono, have you ever…uh… killed anyone?"

Kono's eyes dropped to the table top. "Once…but it wasn't like da Collins kid. It was a stand-off with some gang members. One had a bead on Chin; woulda killed him, too, if I hadn't fired." The large Hawaiian took a deep breath then looked his companion in the eye. "I knew in my head what I did was right…" Kono put his beefy fist over his heart. "…but in here…man, I was tied up in knots for weeks."

"What did you do?" Danny asked, just as a pretty waitress approached their table, interrupting his train of thought.

"You two ready for another round?" the young Hawaiian woman asked, her dark eyes fixed on Kono, a smile illuminating her lovely brown face.

"Give us a minute, beautiful," Kono responded, returning the smile before forcing his attention back to Danny. The waitress left to tend to other customers.

"Had a long talk with my uncle; dat helped some," Kono explained. "But it was later, when I saw Chin with his kids, somehow I just felt better."

"That's not going to work for me," Danny said with an edge of sarcasm in his voice. He looked away from his large friend, lowered his head and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Feels like I've crossed some kind of boundary and I can't go back."

Kono leaned forward and touched Danny's arm to regain his undivided attention. "You have, bruddah. We all gotta deal with it sometime; part of being a cop."

Danny recoiled slightly at the contact and pulled away, but Kono persisted. "Look, Danny, it was an accident. Coulda been me. Coulda been Steve. But it was you. You gonna hafta forgive yourself."

Their eyes were locked together for several seconds while Kono's words hung in the air and their message began to take root. The tension eased with the return of a soft feminine voice: "How about now, gentlemen?" The two looked up to see the smiling waitress who only had eyes for the large Hawaiian detective.

"Two more, please, beautiful," Kono said, soaking up the special attention. The young woman slipped a piece of paper onto the table, pushed it toward Kono then left to get the next round of beers. Kono picked up the slip of paper and broke into a big grin. Without a word, he held up the paper, triumphantly displaying the name and phone number to Danny, who leaned back with his arms folded across his chest, an annoyed smirk on his face. Then both men broke out laughing and for the first time in a week, Danny relaxed.

Though he did feel better, the thing that Danny couldn't bring himself to admit to his friend was the fear he was feeling. The fear that he might hesitate the next time he had to pull his gun. He knew that such hesitation could mean the difference between life and death for a civilian or even a fellow officer.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Danny returned to work and for the most part, resumed his normal routine. He completed his paperwork with the correct name of the deceased. Big Chicken was tried, found guilty and sentenced. The _Honolulu Advertiser_ and KGMB-TV news reported that Detective Dan Williams of Hawaii Five-O had been cleared of all charges in the death of Joseph Collins. Five-O worked on the Hunter case. Danny attempted, though not quite successfully, to bury his guilt and fears deep within himself. His mood had a somber edge. May certainly noticed and kept a watchful eye on the young detective, but said nothing.

"Danno," Steve called out, getting no response. "Danno, are you with us?"

"Oh, sure, Steve," Danny stammered, the heat rising uncontrollably in his face and neck. He felt his colleagues' stares boring into him at the morning staff meeting.

McGarrett eyed his protégé sternly before continuing. "Danno, I want you to check with your snitches; see if there's any word on when and where Hunter is taking delivery on the goods. We've got to get on top of this, gentlemen!" With that declaration, the meeting came to a close.

Chin and Kono stood then filed out of the private office with their own assignments to pursue. Danny followed closely behind but before he was out the door, he heard his boss's voice call out from behind: "Danno, you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Steve," Danny replied. "I'd better get going."

Left alone in his office, Steve leaned against his desk with his arms folded, looking across the room at the closed door. Finally he shook his head. _Something is eating at him, _he thought.

o-o-o

Dan Williams wandered around the sleazy bars and filthy back alleys of Hotel Street. He unconsciously felt for his wallet and gun, making sure that both were secure. After retracing his route twice, he finally spotted the target of his search.

"Willie!" Danny called out.

Willie Paulson was unshaven, dressed in rags and smelled of stale booze. Living on the streets, Willie often slept in a cardboard box with a newspaper for a blanket when he couldn't scrape up enough cash for a cheap room at the boarding house. It looked to Danny like this was one of those times.

"Mr. Williams, am I glad to see you," Willie slurred, hoping for a fresh supply of bills.

"Information first, Willie," Danny said bluntly. "What have you heard about a shipment of heroin coming in? I need names and dates." The detective dangled a ten dollar bill in front of the prone derelict.

"Humph, what manners," Willie muttered under his breath. Danny rolled his eyes, pocketed the bill then snatched the weeks-old newspaper off the old man and helped him to his feet.

"Seems to me…I heard something about a big load…"

"When? Where?" Danny asked impatiently.

"Seems to me…not sure now…tomorrow, Pier 9."

Danny handed the ten dollar bill to the snitch. "I need names, Willie!"

"It'll cost ya."

Danny scowled and pulled two more bills from his wallet. "The names first," he ordered.

"Seems to me…maybe the_ Sea Hunter _or _Dragon Hunter. _Or maybe it was _Sea Dragon."_

_Well, it was something._ Danny paid the man, pocketed his wallet and swiftly walked away, unaware that he still had Willie's newspaper blanket tucked under his arm. With a sigh of relief, he opened the door of his LTD and tossed the old paper onto the passenger's seat then took a seat behind the wheel. He had a very strong desire to go home and take a long hot shower. He picked up the mic from the dashboard to report in.

"Central, this is Williams. Patch me through to McGarrett."

Dan relayed the new information to his boss. Both detectives agreed that, based on Willie's confusion with what sounded like the name of a ship, this had to be connected to Seth Hunter. Then Dan replaced the mic and prepared to start the car. But before he could turn the key, something in the folded newspaper next to him caught his eye. There in the top right column was a very brief death notice for Joseph Collins:

_**Collins:**__ Joseph D. Collins, 18, died November 7, 1968. No service is planned. A private burial at __Kahuku Catholic Cemetery __will take place on Thursday._

Dan read and reread the notice several times. Then he forced his eyes away from the paper, started the car and headed back to the Palace.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"According to the Harbor Master, the _Sea Dragon_ is scheduled to dock tomorrow afternoon at one forty-five, boss," Chin reported, reading from his notebook. "Pier 9."

"Looks like your information is good, Danno," Steve remarked. "And I'll bet that Seth Hunter will be right there waiting for her!" The tall detective stabbed the air with his finger for emphasis.

"What's the plan, boss?" Kono asked.

"We're going to be right there too but out of sight and with HPD backup on alert," McGarrett said. "Hunter's not going to pick up a shipment this valuable without a few of his own hires to watch his back."

"Yeah, he's one smart dude," Kono commented.

"But not _that_ smart," Danny added, his grin easing the tension in the room.

Steve briefly returned the grin. After the very real possibility of losing his second-in-command to a murder charge in the last case, he was more than pleased to have his team whole again and working together, just as it ought to be.

"And we don't want to do anything to tip him off," the senior detective advised before he motioned them over to the portable chalkboard which bore a rough diagram of the docks and warehouses around Pier 9.

After outlining the plan for nabbing Hunter with the shipment of heroin, McGarrett sent his men home, strongly recommending that they get some rest. They would need sharp reflexes tomorrow to pull off the operation successfully.

Danny jogged down the Palace steps, looking forward to a late afternoon swim. But as he settled into the driver's seat of his LTD, he glimpsed Willie's newspaper, still on the seat where he had left it. The impossible-to-ignore death notice once more demanded his attention. After a few minutes he succumbed to the voice of his conscience and headed mauka on the Pali highway, the route that would take him north toward Kahuku Cemetery.

. o-o-o

The sun was low in the western sky and the cemetery was deserted. The North Shore tourists were dining in expensive restaurants and the local commuters were already home. Danny parked his sedan, entered the cemetery and scanned the first few rows of headstones. It didn't take long to find the newest grave, identified by a temporary marker:

**Joseph David Collins**

**March 10, 1950 – November 7, 1968**

Danny stood and stared at the mound of dirt. For a while, he wondered why he had come. What good was this going to do? The terrible image replayed in his mind: the mortally wounded teenager lying face down on the floor of the rundown apartment, one minute pleading for his life, the next dying before Dan's eyes, his blood pooling on the floor; his wound from Dan's bullet.

Tears formed in the young detective's eyes and he sank to his knees. He thought about his own life at age eighteen: an athletic, hard working college student with the dream of becoming a police officer, his whole life ahead of him. _Why did this random tragedy happen?_ There were no good answers. In his own way, Danny grieved for the life that Joseph would never have.

An hour passed while he sat there in the dirt, his body chilled by the ocean air, his soul chilled by the torment of his guilt. The darkness closed in and the few nearby streetlights cast eerie shadows around him. On the evening breeze, he could hear Kono's words speaking to his heart: _You gonna hafta forgive yourself._

Kono was right. He couldn't change what had happened, he could only move forward. In order to do that he had to forgive himself. Danny took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then he rose, brushed himself off and headed for his car, leaving his guilt behind in the lonely grave.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

May was the first to notice the difference. When Danny walked into the office that morning, for the first time in two weeks, he appeared relaxed and at ease. But it was more than that: he had an air of confidence, a new maturity; no longer the kid detective who needed extra guidance. Maybe he even looked taller.

"Gentlemen, my office!" sounded McGarrett's familiar summons to the morning staff meeting.

The brunette secretary smiled to herself as the three men filed past her desk, Kono grabbing a donut and Danny quickly refilling his coffee cup.

"By this time tomorrow I expect to have Seth Hunter and his cohorts charged and in custody," Steve stated fervently, eyeing each of his detectives in turn. "We've been waiting for this for a long time."

"That'll be a big step toward cleaning up the drug trade on the island," commented Chin, thinking about his own children who would be teenagers all too soon.

"Especially after putting Big Chicken out of business," added Danny.

McGarrett's gaze lingered on his second-in-command. He sensed that something was different about the young detective, but it was just an abstract feeling. Still, Steve knew his gut instincts were usually on the mark. And whatever this impression was, it filled him with something akin to pride toward his protégé.

o-o-o

By one o'clock, Steve had received confirmation from the Harbor Master that the _Sea Dragon _was sailing according to schedule and was due to arrive in Honolulu at one forty-five. By one thirty, the Five-O team was in position at Pier 9 with four blue and whites from HPD on stand-by. The mood was tense as the men scanned the water and waited. Their patience was rewarded when they spotted a large cargo ship on the horizon. The ship grew larger as she approached the harbor. As she slowly eased her way into Pier 9, her name became clearly visible to the detectives: _Sea Dragon. _Her crew secured the lines, lowered the gangway and began the laborious process of unloading the freight.

Like clockwork, trucks and vans arrived to receive the boxes and crates and deliver them to warehouses in various parts of the island. A large van from the _Island Paint Company_ pulled up and a middle-aged man in white coveralls exited the driver's side carrying a black briefcase.

"Steve!" Danny called into his walkie-talkie from his perch on the warehouse roof, trying to control his voice as his adrenalin level spiked.

"I see him, Danno," McGarrett calmly responded then gave the signal for the men to prepare to move in.

Hunter opened the back of the van and two more men jumped out just as an Asian sailor approached wheeling a dolly stacked high with crates. Hunter quickly opened the briefcase, allowing the sailor to view its contents then just as quickly, he snapped it closed. The sailor nodded his agreement, and the two men from the van began loading the crates off the dolly and into the van. Hunter discretely handed the briefcase to the sailor. The exchange had been made. The detectives launched into action.

"McGarrett, Five-O! Hold it right there, Hunter!" Steve shouted; his revolver drawn and ready.

Startled, the sailor with the briefcase took off at a run away from the van only to be grabbed by two HPD officers who had emerged from behind the warehouse. Hunter leaped into the back of the van for protection; his cohorts drew their own weapons, crouched behind the van's back doors and opened fire. The four detectives returned fire, taking care to remain shielded. Out of the corner of his eye, Danny glimpsed movement by the front of the van: a fourth man had exited the passenger's side, crept around the van and had a shotgun aimed directly at Steve!


	8. Chapter 8

_**A.N. **__– This is the conclusion of the story. I hope that you've enjoyed my "fix" for the major inconsistency between "And They Painted Daisies on His Coffin" and "The Bomber and Mrs. Moroney". Thanks again to all who have taken the time to read this and special thanks to those who have left reviews. I appreciate all of you. To my readers in the US, may you have a blessed Thanksgiving Day!_

**Chapter 8**

Danny reacted in an instant. He shifted his aim and fired, hitting the man squarely in the right shoulder. The suspect fell to the ground clutching his wound; his weapon had dropped from his useless hand and skidded a safe distance away. Steve's attention was pulled in the direction of the shot and the surprised cry of pain from the wounded man. He lifted his eyes to see his protégé, momentarily frozen in position, sweat glistening on his forehead, smoke still billowing from his .38. He realized what had happened and nodded his thanks to the young detective before returning his attention to the other suspects.

Danny's successful shot had provided enough of a distraction for Chin and Kono to get the upper hand over Hunter's hired men positioned at the back of the van. Chin winged one of them and the other, along with Hunter, both fearing for their lives, stepped away from the vehicle with their arms raised. Two HPD officers appeared on the scene to aid in the arrests.

"I've been looking forward to this for a long time, Hunter!" McGarrett said with a victorious grin as Kono applied handcuffs to the livid man. Hunter was then escorted to the nearest blue and white.

With the wounded en route to the hospital and the others headed to HPD lock-up, Steve congratulated his men. He sought out Dan, reached over and gratefully squeezed his shoulder.

"You saved my life back there, Danno. Mahalo," Steve said sincerely as he looked the younger man in the eye.

"Anytime, Steve," the younger man confidently replied.

Danny had never felt more proud. Steve had trusted him to have his back and he had proved himself worthy of that trust. He did what had to be done with no hesitation. Danny now knew that he truly had what it took to succeed in the profession he loved.

Crouched in the back of the van, Chin pried open one of the crates and pulled out a gallon sized paint can. Using a blunt blade from his pocket knife, he carefully opened the can and pulled out a large bag of white powder. With a satisfied smile, Chin opened the bag, and tasted a small amount of the powder from his finger.

"That's the stuff, boss," Chin reported. "Lots of it, too!"

"Get Che and the lab boys over here," Steve ordered. "I want all the evidence preserved. Hunter is going down this time, gentlemen!"

Kono picked up the opened paint can and chuckled as he read the label. "At least he's got a sense of humor!" Kono commented wryly while holding up the can for the others to see. The professionally printed label described the contents of the can:

Interior Flat Latex Paint - Color: Snow

o-o-o

Seth Hunter had been stripped, searched, medically examined, fingerprinted and photographed. His clothing and jewelry had been bagged and stored and the fifty-five year old drug lord, now dressed in state-issued denim, awaited his cell assignment at Oahu State Prison. Under the watchful eye of an armed guard, Hunter shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he stood outside the warden's office while the necessary paperwork for his incarceration was completed.

Finally the guard respectfully knocked on the door then opened it wide enough to converse with the warden. "Good evening, Mr. Parker," the guard greeted. "Where are we putting Hunter?"

The middle aged man looked up from his paperwork and removed his reading glasses before responding. "There's a vacant cell next to the Collins kid, put him there."

"_That_ trouble maker?" the guard replied, genuinely surprised. "I thought we usually put our new arrivals in with the quieter ones."

"I know, Kimo, we usually do. Funny, though, Marty Collins has suddenly settled down and become a model prisoner. Even signed up for our practical electronics course. It's the strangest thing."

**Pau**


End file.
